Elliotte Friedman revealed that Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov's next contracts are expected to set the new standard for all NHL free agents moving forward. <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently speculated</a> that in a much more open market, the Edmonton Oilers would be willing to pay Connor McDavid in the neighborhood of $50 million per year. Elliotte Friedman also revealed that he expected Connor McDavid and the Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov to set the new standard and become the <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/nhl-analyst-jay-rosehill-makes-a-stunning-prediction-regarding-connor-mcdavid-future-with-the-oilers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>highest-paid players in the NHL after their next contracts.</a> Players expect that the two highest salaries after this wave of signings are gonna be McDavid and Kaprizov; once those players sign, I think you'll see...other potential top UFAs [2026] say...it's easier for me to find the sweet spot. - Elliotte Friedman <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLRumourReport/status/1952079156327375057'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> It's an interesting consideration: what would McDavid make if there were no salary cap? <h3>The Maximum Salary McDavid Can Earn Per Year is $19.1 Million</h3> As it stands, with NHL rules, the highest a player can earn is 20% of a team's cap, and that would place McDavid's maximum at around $19.1 million annually on a new contract. There is little question, however, that McDavid is worth a great deal more. He is the league's face, a generational player, and his worth, both on the ice and off, goes well beyond what the system presently permits. The issue, naturally, is that maxing out at $19.1 million would decrease the Oilers' flexibility to construct a championship-level roster around him. That's the cruel compromise elite players make under the cap: pursue the largest check, or make space to win. Nevertheless, Friedman's $50 million estimate doesn't seem out of line. In a free-spending league or a softened cap, that might be an accurate representation of McDavid's actual market value. If the Oilers could pay McDavid $50 million, he would deserve $50 million. - Elliotte Friedman There are probably more accurate methods of calculating it, but $50 million a year seems like a reasonable estimate for the top player in hockey.